Not long after the tragic March 11th earthquake and tsunami in Japan, we told you about how gaming company Blizzard was taking initiative to tap its community to raise money for relief efforts.
Its somewhat unconventional solution was to sell a virtual pet, a winged monstrosity called a Cenarion Hatching. It went on sale for a $10 ‘adoption fee,’ of which 100 percent of the proceeds would go to the Red Cross.
When we first reported this, I figured that given the size of the World of Warcraft community that a pretty decent sum of money could be raised. But the dollar figure quoted in a statement from Blizzard was certainly a pleasant surprise:
Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of World of Warcraft players around the world who purchased the Cenarion Hatchling pet, we’ve raised a total of more than $1.9 million USD to support the ongoing earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan.
The sale of virtual goods never ceases to blow my mind. Infinite supply is a wonderful concept, particularly when sales are used to benefit the public good as in this case.
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